Tongue-switch.



B. H. STEEDMAN.

TONGUE SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED 11111.24, 1914.

1,1 1 1,041 Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

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THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTO-LlTHO-, WASHINGYUN D4 C.

EDWIN H. STEEDIVIAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TONGUE-SWITCH.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. as, 1914..

Application filed. January 24, 1914. Serial No. 814,197.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWIN H. Srnnnaran, a citizen of the United States, reisding at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tongue- Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will on able others skilled in the art to which it ap pertains to in aka and use the same.

This invention relates to railway switches of the type that comprise a movable tongue which is pivotally mounted in the body part of the switch.

One object of my present invention is to further improve the switch described in my prior U. Patents Nos. 1,049,618 and 1,049,936, dated January 7, 1913, by making it more durable and increasing its factor of safety.

Another object is to eliminate one of the abutting joints between the heel end of the tongue and the body part of the switch in which dirt and ice can collect.

Another object is to provide a switch of the general design shown in my prior patents above-mentioned in which the tongue is exceptionally stiff and rigid and is provided with a continuous guard extending through out its entire length from the point through the heel. And still another object is to provide a switch that embodies all of the good characteristics and features of the switch shown in my above-mentioned patents but which is so constructed that the weight of a car wheel traveling on the tongue is car ried practically symmertically by the heel bearing of the tongue.

To this end I have arranged the approximately conical pivotal bearing portion at the heel end of the tongue eccentric with relation to the center line of the tongue; or, in other words, have offset the pivotal bearing portion of the tongue slightly so as to enable said pivotal bearing portion to be made considerably larger than the space between the outside gage line of one of the wheel flange grooves and the outside guard line of the other wheel flange groove in the body part and of greater diameter than was possible with the design shown in my prior patents previously-mentioned in which the pivotal bearing portion at the heel end of the tongue is concentric with relation to the center line of the tongue. By constructing the switch in this manner I not only greatly increase the area of the cooperating surfaces at the rear of the center of oscillation of the tongue which support the vertical forces acting at the heel end of the tongue, and which restrain the lateral forces that tend to move the tongue crosswise of the body part of the switch, but I also eliminate one of the abutting joints bet-ween the heel end of the tongue and the body part of the switch in which ice and dirt can pack. Furthermore, I insure the weight of a wheel traveling over the tongue being carried practically symmetrically by the heel bearing of the tongue.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a top plan view of a tongue switch constructed in ac cordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken through the center of the switch, the tongue being shown in elevation; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the lines 33 of Figs. 1 and 2; and Fig. 4 is a detail horizontal sectional View taken on the line 4l4t of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, A designates the body part of the switch, and B designates the oscillating tongue that is mounted in said body part, both of said. members being preferably cast from manganese steel or some other suitable hard steel. The tongue B is provided at its heel end with a pivotal bearing portion G that is offset slightly or eccentrically disposed with relation to the center line of the tongue, as shown in Fig. 1. In the preferred form of my invention as herein shown said pivotal bearing portion comprises a top part 1 of substantially cylindrical shape in outline whose upper end terminates at the running surface or tread surface of the tongue, and a bottom part 2 of substantially conical shape in outline whose upper end merges into the top part 1, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. The body part A is pro vided with an undercut pocket for receiving the pivotal bearing portion C of the tongue,

and said pocket is so proportioned and designed that the side walls of same surround and snugly embrace the peripheral surface of the pivotal bearing portion C of the tongue. The bottom 3 of said pocket is flat so as to form a horizontally-disposed bearing surface on which the base or bottom face of the pivotal bearing portion C of the tongue rests. The function of the cooperating pivotal bearing surfaces on the portion C of the tongue and on the body part A of the switch is to restrain lateral forces which tend to move the tongue crosswiseof the body part of the switch, and the function of the horizontal bearing surface 3 on the body part on which the base or botton face of the portion C of the tongue rests, is to support the vertical forces acting at the heel end of the tongue and consequently it is desirable to make these cooperating surfaces of the greatest possible area. In the improved switch herein shown the total area of these cooperating surfaces greatly exceeds the total area of the corresponding surfaces of the switch illustrated in my prior patents previously-mentioned so that the result is a great increase in the area of the cooperating bearing surfaces lying at the rear of the center of oscillation of the tongue. In other words, a switch of the construction above-described is extremely durable and has an exceptionally high factor of safety on account of the great area of the cooperating surfaces on the tongue and on the body part which restrain the lateral forces that tend to move the tongue crosswise of the body part, and of the great area of the surfaces that support the vertical forces acting at the heel end of the tongue. This great increase in area is obtained by arranging the pivotal portion C of the tongue eccentric with relation to the center line of the tongue, thus enabling said portion to be made considerably larger than the space between the outside gage line 00 of one of the wheel flange grooves 8 and the outside guard line y of the other wheel flange groove 9 in the body part of the switch.

In addition to the increased area of the cooperating surfaces at the heel that result from such a construction, there are other desirable features that result from such a construction, one of which is the elimination of one of the abutting joints 10 between the heel end of the tongue and the body part of the switch in which ice or dirt can pack. Another advantage is that the tongue can be provided with a continuous guard 11 extending from the point through the heel, that greatly stiffens the tongue and thus reduces the liability of a split switch, due to bending of the tongue. And still another advantage is that the weight of a wheel traveling over the tongue is carried practically symmetrically by the heel bearing of the switch. In other words, the pivotal bearing portion C of the switch herein shown is so arranged that a wheel traveling over the tongue will travel over approximately the center of said portion and thus cause the load to be distributed symmetrically and evenly to the heel bearing instead of unevenly, as in the switch shown in my prior patents in which the tongue is arranged inside of the outside gage line and the outside guard line of the switch.

The tongue B is provided on its under side with a depending lug 4: which is prefer ably formed integral with the tongue and arranged in such a manner that the conical surface a on the front side of same is concentric with the axis of rotation of the tongue. ployed for moving the tongue rearwardly so as to take up lost motion and wear, is similar to the means used for this purpose in the switch described in my prior patents previously-1nentioned, but differs slightly in certain respects. Said means consists of a bearing member or quarter-box 5 having a tapered curved surface that cooperates with the conical surface 4 on the front side of the depending lug 4 on the tongue and a wedge-shaped locking device 6 for holding said bearing member in engagement with said lug and causing it to exert rearward and downward pressure on said lug so as to hold the tongue securely in engagement with the bearing surface for same on the body part of the switch.

Instead of providing the wedge 6 with The means that is preferably em-' longitudinaly tapered surface or inclined surface that bears against an oppositely tapered or inclined surface on the wall of the housing in which said quarter-box and wedge are arranged, as shown in my prior Patent No. 1,049,618, the wedge 6, herein shown, is provided with a straight surface 6 that bears against a straight surface or surfaces 6 on the housing 6, and the opposite sides 6 of the wedge is tapered longitudinally and bears against a longitudinally tapered surface 6 onthe quarter-box 5, as shown in Fig. 4. In'other words, the wedge and the quarter-box, when considered as a unit, bear squarely on the housing 6, but the dividing line between said wedge and quarter-box extends at an angle with relation to the straight front face of the wedge which bears against the stationary surfaces 6 on the housing 6. By forming the wedge and the quarter-box in this manner I reduce the tendency of the quarter-box to move with the wedge when the wedge is adjusted for the purpose described in my prior patent above-mentioned. The housing 6, in which the quarter-box 5 and locking wedge 6 are arranged, also houses and protects the adjusting device? for the locking wedge, as shown in Fig. 4, and the laterally projecting portion of said housing in which said adjusting device 7 is arranged, has its vertical walls extended upwardly so the upper edges of same are flush with the top face of the body part A of the switch. Consequently, the undercut pocket in the body part of the switch that receives the pivotal bearing portion C on the tongue, intersects or communicates with the interior of the housing in which the holding or locking means for the tongue is arranged, thereby permitting the portion '0 of the tongue, which is eccentrically disposed, to he slipped into and out of said pocket easily during the operation of assembling or disassembling the switch. As shown in Fig. 1, the laterally projecting portion of the housing 6 is provided with a removable cover-plate 60.

A switch of the construction above-described can be cast from manganese steel, or other suitable hard steel, with minimum trouble and expense, in the foundry, in view of the fact that it is not necessary to machine or accurately fit a number of cooperating surfaces on the tongue and on the body part of the switch; and consequently the switch can be manufactured at a low cost. There is little danger of the tongue tilting or cocking up when a wheel passes onto same on account of the relatively large horizontal bearing surface 3 on the body part of the switch on which the base or bottom face of the pivotal bearing portion 0 of the tongue rests, and, furthermore, there is very little tendency for the tongue to move crosswise of the body part on account of the exceptionally large cooperating surfaces on the tongue and on the body part which restrain the lateral forces on the tongue. Therefore, the switch has a high factor of safety and it is exceptionally durable.

In addition to the desirable features previously-mentioned, the switch can be ad justed to compensate for wear, and the parts of same can be renewed without re-grinding or shaping the surfaces of the used part.

lVhile I prefer to form the entire body part A from a single casting I do not wish it to be understood that my invention is limited to such a construction for, if desired, the body part A can consist of a composite structure comprising a base or body portion of one kind of metal or material and wearing surfaces for the tongue formed from metal of a different character and combined with said base or body portion in any suitable manner.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent is:

1. A tongue switch comprising a body part and a tongue having a tapered pivotal bearing portion that is offset or arranged eccentric with relation to the center line of the tongue, said body part having an undercut pocket for receiving said pivotal bearing portion.

2. A tongue switch comprising a body part, a tongue mounted on same and provided at its heel end with a pivotal bearing portion that comprises a substantially conical-shaped part, said pivotal bearing portion being offset or arranged eccentric with rela tion to the center l1ne of the tongue, and a pocket in said body part that receives and conforms to the shape of the pivotal bearing portion of the tongue.

3. A tongue switch comprising a body part, a movable tongue mounted on same and provided at its heel end with an offset or eccentrically-disposed pivotal bearing portion whose base or bottom face is of greater dimensions than its top face, and an undercut pocket in said body part for re ceiving the pivotal bearing portion of the tongue.

4. A tongue switch comprising a body part, a movable tongue mounted on same and provided at its heel end with an offset or eccentrically-disposed pivotal bearing portion whose base or bottom face is of greater dimensions than its top face, an undercut pocket in said body part for receiving the pivotal bearing portion of the tongue, and means cooperating with said tongue to hold the pivotal bearing portion of same seated in the pocket in said body part.

5. A tongue switch comprising a body part, a movable tongue mounted on same and provided at its heel end with an offset or eccentrically-disposed pivotal bearing portion whose base or bottom face is of greater dimensions than its top face, an undercut pocket in said body part for receiving the pivotal bearing portion of the tongue, a depending device on the under side of the tongue, and means arranged under the tongue and cooperating with said device for holding the tongue seated in the pocket provided for same in said body part.

6. A tongue switch comprising a body part provided with a horizontally-disposed bearing surface, a tongue mounted on said body part and provided at its heel end with an eccentrically-disposed pivotal bearing portion of substantially conical-shape in outline whose base or bottom face rests on said horiZontallydisposed bearing surface, and means on said body part for restraining lateral forces which tend to move the tongue crosswise of the body part.

7. A tongue switch comprising a body part, a tongue mounted in same, and a sub stantially conical-shaped pivotal bearing portion at the heel end of the tongue which is offset or eccentrically disposed so that the weight of a wheel traveling on the tongue is carried practically symmetrically by the heel bearing of the switch.

8. A tongue switch comprising a body part, a tongue mounted in same and provided at its heel end with an offset pivotal bearing portion of substantially conical outline, and a continuous guard on the tongue extending from the point through the heel of the tongue.

9. A tongue switch comprising a body part provided with an outside gage line and an outside guard line, a tongue mounted in said body part, an eccentrically disposed pivotal bearing portion at the heel end of the tongue of substantially conical outline whose diameter is greater than the distance between said gage line and guard line, and a guard on the tongue extending throughout the' entire length of the tongue from the point of same to the outside guard line on the body part of the switch.

10. A tongue switch comprising a body part, a tongue mounted in same and provided at its heel with a tapered pivotal bearing portion of substantially conical outline that is arranged eccentric with the center line of the tongue, and a continuous guard on the tongue extending from the point thereof through the heel of the tongue.

11. In a tongue switch, a body part provided with flangeways, a horizontal floor, and a conical recess, a pivoted tongue rest ing on said floor and provided with an cecentric heel portion of approximately conical shape that fits in the recess in said body part, the diameter of said heel portion being considerably greater than the distance between the outside edges of the fiangeways in said body part, a depending lug on said tongue projecting below the fioor on said body part, means cooperating with said lug to hold the tongue in position, and a housing in said body part for said tongue-holding means which intersects or communicates with the conical recess in the body part and thus permits the eccentric heel portion of the tongue to be introduced and withdrawn easily from the conical recess in said body part during the operation of assembling or disassembling the parts of the switch 12. In a tongue switch, a body part, a tongue provided with a flangeway and a guard running approximately the entire length of same, an offset or enlarged pivotal heel portion of substantially conical outline on the tongue whose center is approximately on the gage line of the tongue and whose semi-diameter is approximately the distance from the gage'line of the tongue to the gage line of the switch body located away from the flangeway side of the tongue, a conical recess in the body partthat receives the conical heel portion of the tongue, a dependinglug on the tongue, holding means cooperating with said lug, and a cavity o rhousing in said body part for inoasing said holding means, said housing communicating with the recess in said body part that receives the heel portion of the tongue.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 21st day of'January, 1914:.

EDWIN H. STEEDMAN.

Witnesses:

R. E. VVINKLER, L. S. BUCKLES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents, Washington, D. G." 

